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    Make time for fall anhydrous applications

    To everything there is a season: a time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant, a time to harvest and a time to apply nitrogen. For many growers, the best time to apply anhydrous ammonia is the fall.

    “Fall application with anhydrous provides a reliable source of nitrogen for the next growing season,” said Jeff Bode, technical field agronomist, Corteva Agriscience. “In most cases, growers have time to make successful applications after harvest.”

    With everything else that needs to be done in the spring, fall applications can take a lot of pressure off a grower’s plate. It’s often wetter in spring than in the fall, so it can be difficult to make timely applications at that time when the planting date is looming.

    “It helps to spread the workload,” Bode said. “You have to plant on time to give yourself the best chance for optimal yield.”

    Preserving nitrogen through winter

    Ideally, growers should aim for fall applications when the soil temperature is 50 F or lower. For some, that’s often at the end of October or in early November.

    If a grower chooses to spray anhydrous in the fall, that nitrogen will need to be available in the ground from six to nine months after the application. 

    “The crop will need access to that nitrogen all through the growing season,” Bode explained. “Growers can help ensure most of it will be available by using a nitrogen stabilizer.”

    Corteva offers N-Serve® nitrogen stabilizer, a proven solution that inhibits nitrification to keep nitrogen in the root zone where crops can access it easily. This helps growers optimize yield potential.

    “We all know nitrogen costs a lot of money,” Bode said. “Nitrogen stabilizers make sense to ensure the crop uses as much of it as possible. Nitrogen stabilizers are a kind of insurance, keeping that investment accessible when the crop needs it.”

    More ammonium, less nitrate

    N-Serve nitrogen stabilizer — which reduces leaching by 16%1 — is formulated to work with anhydrous ammonia, keeping more nitrogen in the ammonium form. Corn prefers ammonium over nitrate. Without N-Serve nitrogen stabilizer, bacteria in the soil can convert ammonium to nitrate, which tends to move more readily.

    “This is the 50th year N-Serve has been on the market,” Bode said. “Growers are familiar with the value of N-Serve, and dealers are well-versed in adding it to a grower’s order.”

    Some growers may be considering fall manure applications. Instinct NXTGEN® nitrogen stabilizer is a product designed to work with manure, urea or UAN products.

    Bode also reminded growers that in-season sidedressing can ensure nitrogen is available through the end of the growing season.

    Environmental benefits

    Preserving nitrogen in the soil not only protects a grower’s fertilizer investment but also offers environmental benefits.

    “We work to be good stewards,” Bode said. “When we limit leaching, we’re keeping more nitrogen from entering groundwater. We’re also decreasing nitrate levels that raise greenhouse emissions.”

    In fact, nitrogen stabilizers in the Corteva Agriscience portfolio reduce those emissions by 51%.1

    Yield monitors measure benefits 

    Bode says the litmus test for growers is whether a practice or an input affects the bottom line. In more than 1,000 trials, Corteva’s nitrogen stabilizers show an average yield gain of 7%1 for fall nitrogen applications. The advantage for spring applications is 5.2%.1

    “That answers the question of whether it’s worthwhile,” Bode said.

    Whether growers see the time to spray as fall or as early spring, every crop needs nitrogen available in the root zone throughout the growing season. N-Serve and Instinct NXTGEN nitrogen stabilizers help take advantage of applied nitrogen. And growers can see the results in the combine.

    For more information, visit NitrogenStabilizers.com.

    1Wolt, J.D. 2004. A meta-evaluation of nitrapyrin agronomic and environmental effectiveness with emphasis on corn production in the Midwest. Numbers cited are average results comparing nitrogen applications applied with Optinyte® technology vs. non-stabilized applications. Results may vary.

    Instinct NXTGEN® is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Do not fall-apply anhydrous ammonia south of Highway 16 in the state of Illinois. Always read and follow label directions.